Several local environmental groups, including CKAS, went before the Lexington Planning Commission and took a public stand against the rezoning required to make way for the Ball homes development proposal of the Peninsula on Reservoir #4. On behalf of our Audubon chapter, president Tony Brusate argued that the current proposal represented an inadequate conservation easement around the edges of the water. Riparian buffers are vital elements of watersheds, primarily due to their protection of surface and water quality from impacts related to human land use, but also to due to their ability to provide critical wildlife habitat. Most academic literature regarding conservation easement riparian buffer width (including research done at the University of Kentucky) indicates that "adequate" buffers span one hundred feet on average, with a few studies indicating that some species of birds may need even wider protected swaths, like the Cerulean Warbler which requires forested buffers of at least 330 feet. Kentucky American Water plans to retain ownership of a strip along the water's edge which they claim averages fifty feet; consequently, an additional fifty feet of conservation easement seems prudent in order to meet the average scientific consensus. But though some Commission members seemed swayed by our argument, even admitting “habitat preservation is a very powerful argument," the vote went in favor of limiting additional conservation easement to twenty-five feet by 8 to 1, meaning the Commission recommended the same initial seventy-five foot total buffer suggested by Ball Homes.  CKAS maintains that a wider riparian buffer is not cumbersome regulation nor prohibitive of development and that Lexington needs to balance protection of natural areas with well-planned urban growth. A one hundred foot riparian buffer set from the hundred year flood plain instead of an arbitrary line drawn by the land's current owner is the safest way to ensure that the critical habitat function of this Peninsula area remains intact even as it is developed.

The crowd that turned out for the rezoning hearing numbered in the hundreds. Thank you to all who came. This issue will go before the City Council in the next few months and we will likely be asking you to join us there to again show your support. There is the possibility (albeit slim) that a very large turnout of public opposition at that meeting may still convince the City Council to accept our recommend amendments regarding wider riparian buffers and better habitat protection.
 

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Last month, several CKAS members gathered at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary to assemble 140 Prothonotary Warbler nest tubes, a project funded in part by a collaborative funding grant from the National Audubon Society and supported by discounts on materials from Lowes. Holes were drilled, pieces were glued, connectors were installed, caulk was applied -- everything moving smoothly and efficiently until...  rain.  Shortly after staking posts to spray paint the first batch of tubes, a light and consistent drizzle started to fall, threatening to ruin the spray paint application.  And the rain kept getting harder.  We could see, much to our dismay, that we were going to have to call off our camouflage efforts until a later date.  We hear from Kate Slankard that if we can get the finished product to her by mid-February, there is a conference of WMA managers where she can distribute them to their new homes.  So those of you who thought you had missed all the fun, fear not.  We aim to finish spray painting tubes this upcoming Saturday, Fabruary 4th, weather permitting, after the bird walk to Griffith Woods. We hope to start about 2:00pm, location to be determined. E-mail president@CKAS.org to be kept in the loop. Note: if the weather doesn't cooperate this day either, we can still postpone for another week to February 11th after the Science Fair (likely our last chance to meet this season's Prothonotary return) but hopefully this won't be necessary. If we opt to ever do this project again, we'll be starting a lot earlier (like July or August!).


 

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The annual Birdhouse Display and Silent Auction held at the UK Arboretum State Botanical Gardens of Kentucky will open earlier this year, with houses displayed from April 21st to May 7th, kicking off the theme "Spring is for the Birds."  CKAS will have more information for you about the Display as time draws nearer, but we thought you might like to know of the earlier date so you could start on your birdhouse entries.  Official Entry Forms for the 2017 Exhibit will be due by April 7th, but there's no reason you can't get working on your design / build right now.